Evaluation of the impact of an interdisciplinary team scheduling model on psychological outcomes in patients with decompensated cirrhosis

doi:10.4254/wjh.v18.i1.114366

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World Journal of Hepatology

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1948-5182

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Baishideng Publishing Group Inc, 7041 Koll Center Parkway, Suite 160, Pleasanton, CA 94566, USA

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World J Hepatol. Jan 27, 2026; 18(1): 114366
Published online Jan 27, 2026. doi: 10.4254/wjh.v18.i1.114366

Evaluation of the impact of an interdisciplinary team scheduling model on psychological outcomes in patients with decompensated cirrhosis

Wei-Ying Xu, Ye-Qin Li, Xiu-Ping Wei, Hai-Ping Qin, Li-Fan Feng

Wei-Ying Xu, Ye-Qin Li, Hai-Ping Qin, Li-Fan Feng, Department of Gastroenterology, Red Cross Hospital of Yulin City, Yulin 537000, Guangxi Zhuang Autonomous Region, China

Xiu-Ping Wei, Department of Nursing, Red Cross Hospital of Yulin City, Yulin 537000, Guangxi Zhuang Autonomous Region, China

Author contributions: Xu WY and Li YQ analyzed the data and designed the figures; Xu WY, Li YQ, and Wei XP contributed expertise in study design and manuscript development; Xu WY, Li YQ, Wei XP, Qin HP, and Feng LF performed the study and collected most of the data. All authors contributed to drafting the article, revised the manuscript for important intellectual content, and all authors had full access to the study data and approved the final manuscript.

Institutional review board statement: The study was reviewed and approved by the Ethics Committee of Red Cross Hospital of Yulin City (Approval No. 2021-K001-01).

Clinical trial registration statement: This study is registered at the Chinese Clinical Trial Registry. The registration identification number is ChiCTR2500104612.

Informed consent statement: All study participants or their legal guardian provided informed written consent about personal and medical data collection prior to study enrolment.

Conflict-of-interest statement: All the authors report no relevant conflicts of interest for this article.

CONSORT 2010 statement: The authors have read the CONSORT 2010 Statement, and the manuscript was prepared and revised according to the CONSORT 2010 Statement.

Data sharing statement: The datasets generated and analyzed during the current study are not publicly available because individual privacy could be compromised. However, they are available from the corresponding author on reasonable request.

Open Access: This article is an open-access article that was selected by an in-house editor and fully peer-reviewed by external reviewers. It is distributed in accordance with the Creative Commons Attribution NonCommercial (CC BY-NC 4.0) license, which permits others to distribute, remix, adapt, build upon this work non-commercially, and license their derivative works on different terms, provided the original work is properly cited and the use is non-commercial. See: https://creativecommons.org/Licenses/by-nc/4.0/

Corresponding author: Ye-Qin Li, BM, Associate Chief Nurse, Department of Gastroenterology, Red Cross Hospital of Yulin City, No. 1 Jinwang Road, Yuzhou District, Yulin 537000, Guangxi Zhuang Autonomous Region, China. liyeqin183@163.com

Received: September 17, 2025
Revised: November 3, 2025
Accepted: December 15, 2025
Published online: January 27, 2026
Processing time: 132 Days and 11 Hours

Abstract

BACKGROUND

Patients with decompensated cirrhosis frequently experience severe psychological distress, anxiety, and depression, yet psychological support is often fragmented in conventional care.

AIM

To investigate the effect of interdisciplinary team scheduling on psychological outcomes in decompensated cirrhosis.

METHODS

A randomized, single-blind, single-center trial was conducted from January 2022 to December 2024 in Guangxi Zhuang Autonomous Region. A total of 110 patients with decompensated cirrhosis (Distress Thermometer ≥ 4) were randomized to interdisciplinary team scheduling (n = 55) or conventional scheduling (n = 55). Psychological distress, anxiety, depression, and quality of life were assessed using the Distress Thermometer, Self-Rating Anxiety Scale, Self-Rating Depression Scale, and World Health Organization Quality of Life 100 questionnaire, respectively.

RESULTS

Following the intervention, the interdisciplinary group achieved significantly lower psychological distress [3 (2-3) vs 3 (3-4)], anxiety (41.65 ± 4.29 vs 46.38 ± 4.18), and depression scores (45.79 ± 3.25 vs 50.14 ± 3.69) compared with the control group (all P < 0.05). Quality of life scores also improved significantly in the physical, psychological, and social domains (P < 0.05).

CONCLUSION

The interdisciplinary team scheduling model effectively alleviates psychological symptoms and enhances quality of life among patients with decompensated cirrhosis. This model addresses unmet psychosocial needs through early, continuous, and collaborative care, providing a practical framework for integrating psychological support into chronic liver disease management.

Keywords: Decompensated cirrhosis; Interdisciplinary collaborative team; Nursing scheduling model; Psychological outcome indicators; Patient-centered care; Chronic disease management

Core Tip: This randomized controlled trial evaluated an innovative interdisciplinary team scheduling model integrating physicians, nurses, and psychologists for patients with decompensated cirrhosis. Embedding psychological consultation and narrative nursing into daily clinical routines significantly reduced psychological distress, anxiety, and depression while improving quality of life and patient satisfaction. Compared with conventional medical-nursing scheduling, this model provided earlier and more comprehensive psychological care. The findings highlight the importance of interdisciplinary collaboration in bridging gaps in psychosocial support and offer a novel, practical approach for chronic disease management in cirrhosis.